Winona State President Tabbed to Lead Minnesota State System
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named a new leader.
Last year, current Minnesota State Chancellor Devinder Malhotra announced his intention to retire from the role in July. The Minnesota State Board of Trustees then began a search effort to replace Malhotra, who had been the system’s chancellor since 2017.
The board announced Tuesday that Winona State President Scott Olson has been appointed to the role. Olson has worked in the Minn. State System for 20 years and has spent the last 11 years as President of Winona State University.
“Dr. Olson is an experienced higher education professional with a background both as a tenured professor and as a senior administrative leader. His strong advocacy for shared governance is well-known, as is his reputation for supporting students and his firm commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the announcement says.
During his tenure at Winona State, Olson presided over a 95% increase in enrollment for students of color, cut outcome gaps almost in half, and achieved the highest success rates of students of color among the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, the news release says. He also oversaw the completion of the Education Village and an initiative to convert Winona State to a carbon-neutral campus that’s projected to save the university $26 million over the project’s lifetime.
“I am both honored and humbled to be selected to serve as chancellor of the Minnesota State system,” said Olson. “I will work diligently to meet the opportunities as well as the challenges that lie ahead. What our colleges and universities do every day is nothing short of remarkable, and I look forward to working collaboratively with our faculty, staff, business partners, community leaders, and especially our students, towards a prosperous, inclusive, and innovative future.”
The Minnesota State System is made up of 26 technical and community colleges along with seven universities. It includes Rochester Community and Technical College along with Winona State University, which has a campus in Rochester.
An estimated 30,000 students are enrolled in the system. Olson will assume the chancellor role on August 1.
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